NATCA DAILY PRESS CLIPPINGS
Monday, September 26, 2016
TUCSON.COM
Tucson airport dedicates new control tower
ARIZONA PUBLIC MEDIA
Officials: New Tucson Airport Tower Means Safety, Efficiency
KOLD-TV TUCSON
TIA officials dedicate new air traffic control tower
KVOA-TV TUCSON
Story about the dedication of the new Tucson ATCT
AVIATION NEWS TODAY
FAA Administrator Dedicates New Tucson Tower
FAA PRESS RELEASE
Federal Aviation Administration Dedicates New Tucson Control Tower
AIR TRANSPORT WORLD
Huerta: FAA becoming more nimble agency as technology advances
TOLEDO BLADE
Detroit Metropolitan Airport getting $20.6M for runway work
ABC NEWS
Airplane Collision Over Upstate New York; 3 Reportedly Dead
THE WASHINGTON POST
Two hurt in airliner emergency landing at Dulles
NATCA DAILY PRESS CLIPPINGS
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
POLITICO
Democrats dig in with shutdown days away (text of story below)
GOVEXEC.COM
Federal Agencies Once Again Prepare For A Possible Government Shutdown
DALLAS NEWS.COM
Southwest Airlines pilots to vote on new deal after balking on last one
POLITICO
Remembering 'The King' (text of story below)
POLITICO: Democrats dig in with shutdown days away
As Congress careens toward a potential government shutdown, Democrats are dragging the funding fight to the brink and hoping to squeeze the GOP.
The smart bet is still that Congress will pass some sort of stopgap bill to keep the government running past Friday. Neither party wants to risk being blamed for a shutdown just weeks before the presidential election.
But Democrats are driving a hard bargain: They say any government funding bill must include federal aid to address the water crisis in Flint, Mich. It's a potentially risky move, but Democrats are betting they can either force Republicans to bend, or paint the GOP as indifferent to the people of Flint and responsible for Capitol Hill's deepening dysfunction.
"This funding measure does not contain a single penny for Flint, Mich.," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor Monday. "The people of Flint, Mich., have been waiting for emergency assistance to clean their poisoned water for more than a year."
The Senate is scheduled to hold a key procedural vote Tuesday on a proposal introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But that measure, which would fund the federal government through Dec. 9, is expected to fall short of the 60 vote threshold needed to advance.
The biggest complaint from Democrats is that the bill includes $500 million to address flooding in Louisiana and natural disasters in other states, but no money for Flint, which is still dealing with the consequences of lead-contaminated drinking water.
Top Democrats think it's a political miscalculation for Republicans to be excluding assistance to a largely African-American community with high rates of poverty. Reid said it was "callous" of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to refer to the calamity in Flint as "other people's grief."
One potential resolution to the impasse is for McConnell to remove the money for Louisiana. "Is their solution now to remove help for flood victims?" McConnell asked on the floor Monday. "If their solution is to remove help for flood victims, they should say so." But Democrats might accept that, reasoning that they could return in the lame duck and press for aid for both communities. In recent weeks, Democrats have insisted that any aid for floods be coupled with aid for Flint.
McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan have been eager to show voters that Republicans can govern responsibly and have downplayed the latest skirmish. Ryan told CBS' John Dickerson in an interview that aired Sunday that there would be no government shutdown. "I'm not worried about that," he said. "This is the typical drama."
And top Democratic strategists argue that the public has blamed Republicans for past shutdown showdowns - giving them an advantage in this latest fight. "We see our leverage in getting Flint aid as being the fact that Republicans lose every shutdown fight," said a senior Democratic Senate aide. "We know it. They know it."
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has said the president may not sign McConnell's bill and urged Congress to act "without putting the American people and the American economy through another cliffhanger related to a government shutdown."
The White House Office of Management and Budget has begun the earliest stages of preparing for a shutdown, holding a planning call with agencies last Friday ahead of the end of the fiscal year.
"The administration strongly believes that a lapse in appropriations should not occur," said an OMB spokesperson. "However, at this time, prudent management requires that the government plan for the possibility of a lapse and OMB is working with agencies to take appropriate action."
A senior GOP Senate aide said Senate Democrats were intentionally trying to foment chaos. "They want to talk about shutdowns. They want to create chaos right before the election," the aide said, adding that it was no coincidence the clash comes as Republican chances of holding on to the Senate majority have improved.
Republicans note there is much in the legislation for Democrats to like. It includes $1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus without language that would exclude Planned Parenthood-affiliated clinics from accessing federal grant dollars - a key Democratic demand that had long snarled Congress' effort to counter the mosquito-borne virus. The bill also funds veterans programs and provides some money to implement a popular law signed in July to curb prescription opioid addiction.
And despite a strong push from conservatives like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and the backing of GOP nominee Donald Trump, the bill does not include language to block the Obama administration from relinquishing oversight of the internet domain system to an international body. It's a "clean" bill, McConnell boasted, with no controversial policy riders.
Democrats don't fully agree. They are irritated that the legislation prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring corporations to disclose political spending. That provision simply maintains current law, making it harder for Democrats to demand its removal since they permitted it in last year's omnibus, but it offers them a chance to slam the GOP as beholden to corporate interests.
Ahead of Tuesday's Senate procedural vote to end debate on the package, aides were predicting the parties would remain largely united. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, has said he would support the so-called continuing resolution (CR) since it provides money to take on Zika, which has spread quickly in the Sunshine State. Other Democrats from states that would receive disaster aid in the bill, like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, might also buck party leaders.
But McConnell can't count on keeping all Republicans on his side; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he will oppose the bill, because it would not lift financing restrictions on the Export-Import Bank. Cruz and other conservatives might also defect.
Ryan and other Republicans argue that any debate on Flint aid should take place on water infrastructure legislation moving through Congress. The Senate passed that bill, which includes $220 million for Flint and other communities with failing infrastructure, on a 95-3 vote earlier this month. But the House version of the Water Resources Development Act, which is set for floor action this week, does not include any money for Flint.
Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) has promised that any final negotiations on the bill, which would conclude in a December session, will end with Flint aid. But Democrats are skeptical after months of GOP resistance.
"I'm not going to accept, on faith, that if we leave Flint behind in the CR, somehow there will be an epiphany between now and December, and what they oppose today, they will suddenly embrace then," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.). "Nobody would buy that. It doesn't make sense."
Kildee noted that Democrats will be crucial to helping House GOP leadership carry any stopgap spending bill approved by the Senate across the finish line; many conservative Republicans wanted a long-term CR to avoid a lame duck budget battle and are likely to oppose whatever the Senate passes. The conservative group Heritage Action is opposed to the CR and is warning lawmakers it will include a vote on the bill on its influential scorecard.
"Harry Reid is playing dangerous and irresponsible games with military pay, national security and critical services as he aims to shut down the federal government," said Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas), chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, but added that McConnell was "caving in to this irresponsible behavior by surrendering important conservative policies."
POLITICO: REMEMBERING 'THE KING': Tributes to Arnold Palmer have poured in from the general aviation industry following news of the 87-year-old's death Sunday. A longtime pilot known for flying to golf tournaments, Palmer received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from the FAA in 2010. The Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa., Palmer's hometown, is named after him.
"The truth is, that for more than 50 years, using business airplanes is the single most productive thing I have done," Palmer once said in a 2009 advertisement for the National Business Aviation Association and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. "It's given me the opportunity to compete more effectively in golf and in business, and it's enabled me to do both from a place not served by the airlines."
- Mark Baker, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association: "We all know what a tremendous golfer Arnold Palmer was, but he was also immensely respected as an aviator. He understood the value of general aviation and was a vocal advocate for personal and business flying. As a longtime supporter of AOPA, and a charter member of the AOPA Foundation President's Council, he took a leading role in promoting the safety and utility of general aviation. I count myself lucky to have known him. He will be deeply missed by the GA community."
- Martin Hiller, president of the National Air Transportation Association: "The aviation community has lost a friend and great ambassador. Mr. Palmer loved every aspect of flying, including all the people in the aviation business community critical to ensuring every flight begins with a safe airplane."
- Ed Kilkeary Sr., former NATA board member and Palmer's friend: "I had the opportunity to fly Mr. Palmer last week and there was no doubt where he would be sitting, up front helping me pilot the aircraft. There was not a nicer, more inclusive person in the world than Arnold Palmer. Although he had accomplished so much, he was always himself. He didn't even realize he's Arnold Palmer."
- Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association: "While Arnold's appeal is universal, he holds a truly special place in the hearts of everyone in aviation. His passion for flying, his professionalism with over 19,000 hours in the left seat, and his tireless advocacy for our industry, combined to make him our great champion. To honor his legacy, we will dedicate our upcoming convention to his memory."
NATCA DAILY PRESS CLIPPINGS
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pilots, air traffic controllers shifting to text messaging
(NATCA IAD member Sharlotte Yealdhall quoted)
USA TODAY
Less chat, more action for airlines, flight controllers
AIR TRANSPORT WORLD
FAA touts Data Comm installations at 45 US airport ATC towers
FAA PRESS RELEASE
Data Comm Now at Washington Dulles
MORE COVERAGE OF DATA COMM PRESS EVENT AT IAD
KTLA-TV Los Angeles (example of the type of coverage the story received in dozens of different markets around the country)
WBZ-Radio Boston (example of the type of radio coverage the story received in many markets around the country)
POLITICO
Reid backs Flint deal designed to avert shutdown
POLITICO
Congress on verge of breaking impasse over Flint
FEDERAL SOUP.COM
Senate fails to advance continuing resolution
OCEAN CITY, N.J., DAILY
Veterans Hired by the FAA Will Now Receive New Paid Sick Leave Benefits under Larsen-LoBiondo Bill
TWIN CITIES.COM
FAA report details drones flying near planes in Minnesota
AVIATION WEEK
Aviation Loses Friend, Advocate With Arnold Palmer’s Passing
PRESS RELEASE
Gate Precast to supply panels for second tallest control center in U.S.
POLITICO: Reid backs Flint deal designed to avert shutdown
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said today Senate Democrats were prepared to accept the bipartisan House deal on Flint and said he expected speedy action on a temporary spending bill to follow.
"I am convinced that there is going to be help for Flint in the lame duck," Reid said. "They've been waiting for help, they deserve help. I am very happy it is going to come."
Reid said today would be "a good day for the Senate," and that though there were a couple other outstanding issues on the continuing resolution to keep the government operating through Dec. 9, he expected them to be resolved.
The House today plans to amend its Water Resources Development Act to authorize $170 million to address lead contamination in Flint, Mich. That bill will need to be reconciled with a Senate-passed WRDA bill, which included a different aid package totaling $220 million for Flint and other cities, during a lame-duck session.
Michigan's Democratic senators said they were optimistic about the WRDA progress but would vote against a CR if it included money to address flooding in Louisiana and elsewhere without funding for Flint.
"My position on the government funding bill remains the same: I will vote no on any CR that does not treat communities equally," Sen. Debbie Stabenow (R-Mich.) said in a statement.
Republican leaders likewise sounded confident they could avert a government shutdown.
"You don't see a lot of talk about a government shutdown right now," House Speaker Paul Ryan said at the Economic Club of Washington Wednesday morning. "Why? Because we're not going to have one."
POLITICO: Congress on verge of breaking impasse over Flint
House leaders appear to have reached a deal to break an impasse over aid for Flint, Mich., with the Rules committee agreeing late Tuesday night to allow a vote on an amendment to a water infrastructure measure that would provide $170 million to the city struggling with lead contamination.
The amendment to the Water Resources Development Act from Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) differs significantly from the Senate-passed aid package for Flint. The House provision would only authorize the spending, whereas the Senate deal would appropriate funding. The Senate deal, which includes an offset, also contains a provision to benefit communities across the country that is not in the House amendment.
Senate Democrats have demanded an "ironclad commitment" that their Flint package will make it into a final bill, and additional negotiations may occur in a conference committee during the lame duck session. The House is expected to pass its WRDA bill as soon as Wednesday.
House leaders appear hopeful this deal will help end a more immediate showdown over keeping the government open past this week. Flint has emerged as the key sticking point in negotiations to pass a short-term funding measure. Senate Democrats today filibustered a Republican-proposed continuing resolution because it contained emergency aid for flood victims in Louisiana and elsewhere without help for Flint.
NATCA DAILY PRESS CLIPPINGS
Thursday, September 29, 2016
THE WASHINGTON POST
Congress acts to avert government shutdown after striking deal on Flint aid
GOVEXEC.COM
Congress Votes to Keep Government Open
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Congress Approves Spending Bill, Averting Government Shutdown
THE WASHINGTON POST
New direct digital link between tower and cockpit will speed planes on their way
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS
FAA Accelerates Data Communications Roll Out to ATC Towers
NATCA DAILY PRESS CLIPPINGS
Friday, September 30, 2016
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Stopgap Funding Bill Averts U.S. Government Shutdown
(NATCA mentioned, press release quoted)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Pilots to start texting at O'Hare, Midway — but it's not what you think
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
FAA Set To Issue Mentoring Rules For Airline Pilots
12 NEWS PHOENIX
FAA evacuates parts of Sky Harbor, flights delayed